This invention relates generally to the synthesis of carbon nanotubes, and more particularly relates to techniques for controllably fabricating and testing single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Since their discovery, carbon nanotubes have attracted intense research into their electrical and mechanical properties and have been proposed for implementation in a wide range of electronics as well as mechanical and electromechanical applications. In particular it has been demonstrated that carbon nanotubes are distinctly well-suited for applications including, e.g., microelectronic and nanoelectronic devices and systems, chemical sensors, transducers, displays, physical probes, and energy storage devices.
Synthesis of carbon nanotubes has been achieved by various techniques, including, e.g., methods of arc-discharge, laser ablation, and thermal decomposition of a hydrocarbon. There has been demonstrated with such methods the ability to produce a range of nanotube characteristics. For example, there can be produced films, or mats, of randomly oriented nanotubes or alternatively, arrays of nanotubes that are aligned in a selected orientation. There has also been demonstrated the ability to selectively produce single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) or multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) as-desired for a given application.
As the applications for carbon nanotubes present more particular requirements, additional precision in the control of nanotube synthesis is critical. Specifically, precise and repeatable control of nanotube location, orientation, diameter, and single- or multi-wall configuration are required to successfully address many important applications. Without such control, nanotubes cannot meet the commercial manufacturing requirements of applications for which nanotubes are so well suited.